A general theory of memory and the computer simulation thereof is applied to the process of aging. The theory serves as a model system to define deficits in memory associated with the aging process. Experiments are proposed that investigate possible loci of deficit including faster decay rates in semantic memory, loss of control of semantic memory, loss of control of semantic activation, and changes in the rate of contextual fluctuation which influences the retrieval of episodic information. Response latency is employed as a key dependent variable in these studies.